Skip to main content

Grade control technology for compact machines

Caterpillar now offers Cat Grade technologies as an aftermarket option to owners of Cat next generation mini hydraulic excavators in the 6-10tonne class range. The systems are available through Cat and Sitech dealers and allow owners to equip machines with Cat Grade with Advanced 2D, or Cat Grade with 3D. The field kit’s modular components allow quick installation, while the technology integrates into the Cat excavator electronics infrastructure.
January 25, 2022 Read time: 2 mins
Caterpillar’s 6-10tonne machines can be fitted with Trimble machine control tools

Both aftermarket grade technologies share similar capabilities with larger Cat excavators operating Cat Grade with Advanced 2D or 3D systems. A separate, high-resolution touchscreen monitor allows operators to view, create and work site designs inside the cab. Automatics deliver simple, single-joystick control over the stick and bucket to maintain grade and avoid overcutting and undercutting.

Cat Grade with Advanced 2D uses onboard processors and sensors to deliver real-time bucket tip and elevation guidance on the touchscreen. This allows operators to create and work to basic site designs, while grade design edits can be made in the cab. Field installation of the technology includes the hardware, sensors and dedicated monitor for grade plan creation, editing and viewing.

Using GPS and GLONASS systems to pinpoint location, Cat Grade with 3D allows multiple machines to grade to complex jobsite designs. The monitor shows bucket position throughout the digging motion, while height and depth audio alerts indicate when desired grade has been reached to protect from overcutting or undercutting. Beyond the hardware and sensors, including monitor, required for Grade with Advanced 2D, installation of Grade with 3D also requires GNSS receivers and antennas.

Cat Grade technologies help operators reduce the number of passes and shortens the time it takes to complete cuts. Saving costs associated with time, labour, fuel and material consumption, Cat Grade technologies allow companies to reach target grade quickly and lower overall operating costs at the jobsite.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Efficient dozing with Liebherr
    May 6, 2022
    Bulldozers were amongst the first items of construction equipment to benefit from the use of machine control technology.
  • Trimble offers advanced dozer machine control solution
    February 28, 2018
    Trimble is now introducing its Earthworks for Dozers package, following on from the Earthworks for Excavators system unveiled last year. The Earthworks Grade Control System for Dozers uses the same inertial motion sensors (IMUs) as the excavator package and mounts its dual GNSS receivers on top of the cab to eliminate masts and cables conventionally located on the blade. The dual GNSS receivers suit steep slope work and complex designs with tight tolerances. The new configuration keeps valuable receivers
  • Sophisticated slipformer control from Wirtgen
    August 10, 2018
    Wirtgen is now offering a new version of its concrete slipformer control package. This new tool offers additional capabilities and improved performance over the earlier version. The company claims that its upgraded Wirtgen AutoPilot 2.0 package can deliver a higher paving accuracy along with lower costs. Newly-developed, this package is said to produce a wide array of offset and inset profiles, while also delivering these more economically and precisely than with the previous version. The 3D system can eit
  • Topcon’s new earthmoving machine control system
    March 12, 2018
    Topcon Positioning Group announces a new 3D machine control system designed to offer a faster, modular and easily upgradeable aftermarket solution for excavation — the X-53x. “It features fully integrated GR-i3 receivers for precise positioning of the boom, stick and bucket at all times, as well as the MC-X1 controller, which offers compatibility with all brands and models of excavators and provides a customisable machine control platform to address future project demands,” said Murray Lodge, senior vice